Counting apparatus.



Patented June 24, I902.

R. W. JDRRES.

COUNTING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Nov. 15, 1901.)

(N0 Model.)

mlwgm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH W. JORRES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

COUNTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,275, dated. June24, 1902.

Application filed November 15, 1901- Serial No. 82,857. (No model.)

To all Hill/07W it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, RALPH W. J oRnEs, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Block-Ice-CountingApparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

Myinvention relates to an apparatus adapted for use in counting andregistering blocks of ice as they move through a chute or gangway, theconstruction of the device being such that eachtime a block of icepasses away from the counting apparatus the portion of the apparatuswhich actuates the register is automatically moved into operativeposition to be ready to receive the next succeeding block of ice. Bythis arrangement the receiving and discharge portions of the apparatusare necessarily required to operate in unison with each other to permitthe passage of the blocks of ice, and therefore it is renderedimpossible for the operators using the apparatus to fraudulentlymanipulate the parts in such manner as to render the apparatusinoperative by retaining any parts from operation.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claim,

Figure I is a perspective view of my counting apparatus shown applied toan ice-chute. Fig. II is a top or plan View of the apparatus, partlybroken out. Fig. III is a vertical cross-sectional View taken on lineIII III, Fig. II.

1 designates a chute through which the blocks of ice (shown by dottedlines in Fig. I) are passed and on which the counting apparatus ismounted.

2 designates uprights fixed to the chute 1 and serving as supports for apair of parallel bars 3, located at an elevation above said chute. Theuprights 2 straddle the chute 1 in pairs, so as provide a passage-waybetween them and permit the movement of the blocks of ice through thechute.

4: designates a register that may be of any desirable form orconstruction 5 designates a trigger finger pivotally mounted on hearingsseated in the parallel bars 3 at the receiving end of the countingapparatus and arranged in a suspended position to swing beneath saidparallel bars in the path of the blocks of ice that move through thechute 1.

6 is a tripper-finger swingingly mounted on bearings seated in theparallel bars at the discharge end of the apparatus, so as to swing inthe path of travel of the blocks of ice passing through the chute 1.Attached to one of the bearings of the trigger-finger 5 is acrankarm 7,and attached to one of the bearings of the tripper-finger (S is acrank-arm 8, the said crank-arms 7 and 8 being joined to each other by aconnecting-rod 9, so united to said crank-arms as to cause thetripper-finger G to be swung downwardly into the position seen in dottedlines, Fig. I, when the triggerfinger 5 is moved upwardly on the passageof a block of ice past said trigger-finger. The register 41 is operatedeach time that the trig ger-finger 5 is struck by a block of ice andmoved upwardly, such operation being provided for by alink 10, pivotallyconnected to the crank-arm '7 and joined to the registerlever 11, whichoperates the mechanism of the register.

As will be seen from the foregoing description, each block of ice thatpasses the trigger finger 5 moves said finger upwardly to permitmovement of the block of ice through the chute and by which movement theregister is operated, as explained, and the tripper-finger is moveddownwardly ready to receive the block of ice which is approaching it andstrikes it to effect downward movement of the trigger-finger for theengagement of the next succeeding block of ice. By this positioning ofthe parts and the connection between them it is rendered imperative thatthe trigger-finger be always returned into the path of travel of theblocks of ice as the tripper-finger is moved out of the path of travel,and any attempt on the part of workmen or others to hold either of thefingers from move-- ment in elevated position for the purpose ofpermitting free passage of ice through the chute without counting iseffectually prohibited, owing to the other fingers being thereby 1odirection when the other finger is raised or lowered, whereby one or theother of the fingers forms a barrier against the passage of ice throughsaid chute, and a register having connection with said fingers,substantially as described.

RALPH \V. JORRES.

In presence of E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER.

